Land Purchase To Go To Voters

Property Sought For School, Fields

AVON — With an eye toward future school and recreational field construction, the town council Thursday asked voters to decide whether to purchase 15 acres of land off Thompson Road.

A town meeting Dec. 10 at the senior center will determine whether Avon will spend $750,000 over the next three years to purchase the tract, which abuts Pine Grove Elementary School. Voter approval is necessary for the purchase. The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

If the request is approved, the town would pay $125,000 to property owner Russell Hunter Jan. 1 and $250,000 in July. Additional payments would be made of $250,000 in 2000, and $125,000 in 2001. The acquisition would be interest-free, thanks to an agreement between the town and Hunter, Town Manager Phil Schenck said.

Council members and the boards of education and finance met in executive session Thursday night to decide whether to pursue the purchase.

The tract could help a space crunch at the town's public schools. Both Pine Grove and Roaring Brook elementary schools are above capacity, and projected student enrollments indicate Avon Middle School will exceed capacity by 100 students by 2004.

Portions of the property could also be converted to ballfields and playing fields.

Hunter is a former Avon resident who currently lives in Illinois. His family has owned the property since the 1940s, when they built a home there. Hunter's mother lived in the home until moving to Illinois earlier this year.